With their season-opening tilt with the Bengals just days away, the Patriots have chosen four captains to lead them into their 17-week battle.

Tom Brady, Kevin Faulk, Vince Wilfork and Jerod Mayo were announced as team captains by head coach Bill Belichick on Friday.

Last season, Brady passed for 4,398 yards and 28 touchdowns. Faulk, who will be starting his 13th season with the Patriots, scored three total touchdowns while rushing for 335 yards and hauling in 301 receiving yards. Wilfork, who received a five-year contract extension in March, had 43 tackles a year ago. Mayo led the Patriots with 103 tackles to go with 1.5 sacks.

Randy Moss, who was an offensive co-captain last season, was not selected this year. In other changes from last year to this year, there will be no special team's captain in 2010. Sam Aiken held that title a year ago and has since been cut from the team.

"We have four team captains," Belichick said in his news conference. "They represent everybody. They represent the entire team."